Hi! My son loves Bates. He just felt so comfortable with everyone he met there. He is a little concerned that there is only one choir,which seems classically oriented. Also that the theatre facilities are a bit old compared to others and the program small? Also in the instagram feed it is mostly about sports not much about arts or theatre. Dows anyone have an arty kid who has been to Bates? Or been to bates themselves with perspective on this? He has lots of other interests but has LOVED his theatre and choir in highschool.
@HCatmom, I can perhaps shed a little light. The last three weeks of the Bates Instagram has been quite sports-heavy but there’s a reason. Because of Bates’ 4-4-1 calendar second semester classes ended on April 5th. The next 17 days were exams plus spring break. During that time there would have been no art shows or music, dance or theater performances. Because the rest of the NESCAC league is on a 4-4 or 4-1-4 schedule sports matches carry on as usual. Consequently there’s not much other than sports to post about.
If you look at the school’s Insta postings from April 5th on back you’ll see a much more balances picture of what’s going on on campus. Some sports, but more posts on academics and plenty on the arts.
Sue22 Thanks! I wondered if it might be that. Do you have a sense of the strength of the theatre and choir at Bates. I found the instagram for them and it looks great.
As a Bates alumna, I can tell you that the arts are nothing compared to other schools we have visited this year. Bates is clearly an elitist school with a huge amount of students coming from full pay, wealthy families. The whole “we cover 100% of financial need” is a mask for the fact that they don’t admit many deserving students simply because they have financial need. That’s why the SAT scores are low - many of the full pay students don’t submit their scores, but they are admitted because they help balance the books. It’s just business and frankly, their reputation as a selective school is undeserved. They took out the supplemental questions/essay to encourage applications 2 years ago, so that they can reject more applicants and look more selective. Colby did the same thing but started earlier, however they always required SAT scores so they got the smarter kids to begin with. I know students at Hamilton and Oberlin who love it, the academics are top notch, and they have way more to offer.
Well that is harsh. In my experience SAT scores have nothing to do with intelligence. Sorry you are so down on your old school.
It would seem to me that Short Term would be the time for the most engaging academic pursuits of the year, including in creative fields like theatre and music. It will be interesting to see if posts regarding these areas appear when Short Term begins.
Contact the choir and theatre organizations there. I find a lot more opportunities when prigranscsre not so structured and established.
In sports, the choice often comes down to being on a great team but sitting on the bench vs being a key player. So it works with the arts at schools.
Hmm, very interesting post above from the person who joined a few days ago and only has two posts to her name. In fact, hhbhhb above sounds remarkably similar to an old poster who has since been banned here.
To answer your question, @HCatmom , of the three Maine NESCAC’s, Bates is generally regarded as the most arty and creative. As far as I am aware, the arts are well-represented at Bates and the students enjoy them. Best of luck to your son as he makes his decision.
@HCatmom - I have two theatre kids and my only college visit to Bates was 5 years ago. My D was interested in backstage work and she was frankly disappointed with their facilities. The equipment and buildings are old - she had better “stuff” at her high school - and the performing arts seemed underfunded given how beautiful the rest of the campus was. On the plus side the students we met were very welcoming, the dance concert we saw was well-attended so it seems like there’s a lot of community support even if there’s not a lot of money spent. I would see it this way - if your son wants to participate in choir and theatre he’ll definitely have a chance to do so. There’s a trade-off for the performing arts - the more elite the program the harder it is for someone who only wants to perform as a side interest to get a spot.
I’ve no doubt that Bates offers strong opportunities and support to those interested in all forms of creative expression but take issue with the characterization that it is generally considered the ‘most arty and creative’ of the Maine schools. Our visits suggested different and as an artist I pay attention to these things b/c, to me, it matters.
Of the Maine LACs, Bowdoin appears to graduate the most students in “Visual and Performing Arts” (29 as “first majors”), followed by Bates (24) and Colby (18).
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Bowdoin&s=all&id=161004#programs
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Bates&s=all&id=160977#programs
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Colby&s=all&id=161086#programs
The largest difference seems to be in the number of art history majors.
@morandi , I used the word “generally” but it’s not written in stone. Many people have characterized Bates as having a more creative vibe than the other two, but vibe isn’t definitive. Perhaps laid back is a better choice, and maybe people associate that with being creative. I think most students will have a good experience with the arts at any of the three colleges.
‘Laid back’ is equally uninformative. It has nothing to do with creativity or curiosity or expression. Full disclosure, my kid went to school at Bowdoin and the ways in which it changed his life were all to do with the creative and laid back vibe 
Yes, all these schools have offerings and connections and potential tribes…Make a choice and take advantage of the resources available!
Where did they end up?
Surprised, happy, employed, contributing towards what matters in his world…so, yes, all the beautiful things in life Let your kid choose and trust it.
So it seems. But i was wondering if there are schools that actually think about giving folks an opportunity. After all, its about learning and teaching correct?
@hhbhhb sad that you got rejected so you pose as a “Bates alumna” and make an account so you can vent your frustrations. Kinda sad, to be honest. 100% chance you’re a Colby, Hamilton, or Oberlin student, the schools you talked up. Also, it’s “with a huge number of students coming from…”
Misrepresentation violates TOS. People can flag reply #3 with any reasonable suspicions.
@hhbhhb Are you implying that many full pay students had excellent SAT test scores but for whatever reason opted to not submit their scores thus lowering the test profile? 
Regardless, the SAT scores are impressive.
Page #10
https://www.bates.edu/research/files/2019/05/cds1819.pdf